Grizzlies' Gasol selected as league's top defender

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeApril 24, 2013

Memphis center Marc Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the first Grizzlies player to win the award Gasol, 28, beat out Miami's LeBron James and Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka for the honor. In voting by sportswriters and broadcasters, Gasol received 212 of a possible 1,089 points and 30 first-place votes. LeBron had 149 points and 18 first-place votes and was followed by Ibaka (122 points, 14 first-place votes). The 7-foot-1 Gasol averaged 1.7 blocked shots and 1.0 steals during the regular season for a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 points per game. He also averaged 14.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in 80 games this season.